Petunia plant named ‘Usuzumi’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Petunia  plant named ‘Usuzumi’, characterized by its upright and outwardly spreading plant habit; vigorous growth habit; numerous light purple-colored flowers with dark purple-colored venation and throats; long flowering period; and good garden performance.

Botanical designation: Petunia×hybrida.

Cultivar denomination: ‘Usuzumi’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Petunia plant, botanically known as Petunia×hybrida, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name Usuzumi.

The new Petunia is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Abo-gun, Chiba, Japan. The objective of the breeding program is to create new Petunias with numerous flowers with attractive flower colors.

The new Petunia originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor in July, 2000 of an unnamed proprietary Petunia selection, not patented, as the female, or seed parent, with an unnamed proprietary Petunia selection, not patented, as the male, or pollen parent. The new Petunia was selected as a single plant from the resulting progeny of the cross-pollination by the Inventor in a controlled environment in Abo-gun, Chiba, Japan.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings in a controlled environment in Abo-gun, Chiba, Japan since September, 2002 has shown that the unique features of this new Petunia are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the cultivar Usuzumi have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature and light intensity without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Usuzumi’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Usuzumi’ as a new and distinct Petunia cultivar:

-   -   1. Upright and outwardly spreading plant habit.     -   2. Vigorous growth habit.     -   3. Numerous light purple-colored flowers with dark         purple-colored venation and throats.     -   4. Long flowering period.     -   5. Good garden performance.

Plants of the new Petunia differ primarily from plants of the female parent selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   l. Plants of the new Petunia are taller than plants of the         female parent selection.     -   2. Plants of the new Petunia have elliptic-shaped leaves whereas         plants of the female parent selection have oval-shaped leaves.     -   3. Plants of the new Petunia and the female parent selection         differ in flower coloration.

Plants of the new Petunia differ primarily from plants of the male parent selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Petunia are taller than plants of the male         parent selection.     -   2. Growth habit of plants of the new Petunia is upright and         outwardly spreading whereas growth habit of plants of the male         parent is decumbent.     -   3. Plants of the new Petunia have larger flowers than plants of         the male parent selection.     -   4. Plants of the new Petunia and the male parent selection         differ in flower coloration.

Plants of the new Petunia can be compared to plants of the cultivar Revolution Bluevein, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,322. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Abo-gun, Chiba, Japan, plants of the new Petunia differed from plants of the cultivar Revolution Bluevein in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Petunia were taller than plants of the         cultivar Revolution Bluevein.     -   2. Growth habit of plants of the new Petunia was upright and         outwardly spreading whereas growth habit of plants of the         cultivar Revolution Bluevein was decumbent.     -   3. Plants of the new Petunia had thicker stems than plants of         the cultivar Revolution Bluevein.     -   4. Plants of the new Petunia had elliptically-shaped viscid         leaves whereas plants of the cultivar Revolution Bluevein had         oval-shaped smooth leaves.     -   5. Plants of the new Petunia and the cultivar Revolution         Bluevein differed in flower coloration.     -   6. Plants of the new Petunia flowered longer than plants of the         cultivar Revolution Bluevein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new cultivar, showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Petunia.

The photograph at the top of the sheet comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Usuzumi’ grown in a container.

The photograph at the bottom of the sheet comprises a close-up view of typical flowers of ‘Usuzumi’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photographs and following observations and measurements describe plants grown in Abo-gun, Chiba, Japan, in a polyethylene-covered greenhouse during the late spring with day temperatures about 28° C. and night temperatures about 18° C. Plants were grown for five months in 15-cm containers. Plants were pinched one time in the spring. Color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2001 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Petunia×hybrida cultivar Usuzumi. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female parent.—Unnamed proprietary Petunia selection, not             patented.         -   Male parent.—Unnamed proprietary Petunia selection, not             patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type cutting.—Terminal vegetative cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots.—About one week at 18° C.         -   Time to develop roots.—About two weeks at 18° C.         -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous, white in color.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching, dense. -   Plant description:     -   -   Form.—Annual flowering plant; indeterminate; upright and             outwardly spreading plant habit. Viscid and glandular             pubescent. Vigorous growth habit.         -   Branching habit.—Freely branching with lateral branches             developing potentially at every node.         -   Plant height.—About 50 cm.         -   Plant diameter.—About 40 cm.         -   Lateral branches.—Length: About 20 cm. Diameter: About 3 mm.             Internode length: About 3 cm. Texture: Pubescent. Color:             144B.         -   Foliage description.—Arrangement: Alternate, simple;             sessile. Length: About 6.5 cm. Width: About 3.5 cm. Shape:             Elliptic. Apex: Acute. Base: Cuneate. Margin: Entire.             Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Pubescent; viscid.             Venation pattern: Pinnate; reticulate. Color: Developing and             fully expanded foliage, upper surface: 137A. Developing and             fully expanded foliage, lower surface: 137B. Venation, upper             and lower surfaces: Similar to lamina. -   Flower description:     -   -   Flower type and habit.—Single salverform flowers; flowers             face mostly upward or outward; axillary. Flowers not             persistent. Freely flowering habit.         -   Natural flowering season.—Plants flower from April through             late November in Japan; flowering continuous during this             period.         -   Flower longevity on the plant.—About three to four days.         -   Fragrance.—None detected.         -   Flower size.—Diameter: About 5 cm. Depth: About 4 cm.         -   Flower buds.—Length: About 3.7 cm. Diameter: About 7 mm.             Shape: Cylindrical. Color: 79D.         -   Corolla.—Quantity/arrangement: Five petals; fused,             funnelform. Petal length from throat: About 1.5 cm. Petal             width: About 2.3 cm. Petal shape: Roughly spatulate or             fan-shaped. Petal apex: Cuspidate. Petal margin: Entire.             Petal texture: Smooth; satiny. Color: Petal, upper surface,             when developing and fully expanded: 76D; venation, 86A.             Petal, lower surface, when developing and fully expanded:             76D; venation, 83A; color becoming closer to 76C with             development. Flower throat (inside): 86A. Flower tube             (outside): 86A.         -   Sepals.—Arrangement/appearance: Single whorl of five sepals             fused at base, star-shaped. Length: About 1 cm. Width: About             1.5 mm. Shape: Oblong. Apex: Obtuse. Margin: Entire.             Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Pubescent. Color, upper             and lower surfaces: 137B.         -   Peduncles.—Length: About 2 cm. Width: About 1.5 mm. Angle:             About 45° from the stem. Strength: Moderately strong.             Texture: Pubescent. Color: 144B.         -   Reproductive organs.—Stamens: Quantity: Five per flower.             Anther shape: Ellipsoidal. Anther length: About 1.5 mm.             Anther color: 94D. Pollen amount: Moderate. Pollen color:             94D. Pistils: Quantity: One per flower. Pistil length: About             2 cm. Style length. About 1.9 cm. Style color: 144D. Stigma             shape: Broadly elliptic. Stigma color: 79A. Ovary color:             141B.         -   Seed.—Diameter: About 0.5 mm. Color: Brownish. -   Disease/pest resistance: Plants of the new Petunia have not been     noted to be resistant to specific pathogens and pests common to     Petunia. -   Garden performance: Plants of the new Petunia have been observed to     have good garden performance and tolerate rain, wind and tolerated     temperatures from −5 to 35° C. 

1. A new and distinct cultivar of Petunia plant named ‘Usuzumi’, as illustrated and described. 